Sony has yet to release a frame of footage from The Magnificent Sevenoutside of this year’s CinemaCon, but the first official stills from the upcoming western reveal that director Antoine Fuqua has nailed at least one vital aspect of this film already. If you must remake an iconic film staring the likes of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, and James Coburn, you need to make sure your line-up of movie stars and character actors can stand next to that ensemble and not look completely embarrassing.

And on that level alone, The Magnificent Seven is off to a strong start. It’s not every day that you get to see a western starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Byung-hun Lee. That’s certainly enough to grab my attention by the reins.

It’s been almost a decade since Denzel Washington has directed a feature film, which is a bit of a shame, since his two directorial efforts, Antwone Fischer and The Great Debaters, showed he’s capable of far more than acting. After starring in August Wilson‘s Fences on Broadway, the actor has decided to return to the director’s chair and bring Wilson’s story to the big screen.

Get the latest updates on Washington’s Fences adaptation, including new stars and a new studio home, below.

The Academy didn’t even think to nominate Tom Hanks for Best Actor this year, despite their overall affection for Bridge of Spies, but in the hearts of Americans he’s already secured the #1 slot. According to the new poll, Hanks is the country’s favorite movie star, beating out fellow A-listers like Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Which isn’t that surprising, really. Hanks is an unquestionably talented actor who does dad movies (Bridge of Spies) and kiddie fare (Toy Story), prestige dramas (Captain Phillips) and bankable franchises (Da Vinci’s Code), and even throws the occasional artsy curveball (Cloud Atlas) for good measure. On top of all that, he enjoys a sterling personal reputation — the only gossip you ever hear about Hanks is about how nice he is.

No, far more surprising is who placed #2: Johnny Depp, who hasn’t led a solid commercial hit since that last, terrible Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Read More »

In news that should come as no surprise the millions of people who went out of their way to avoid Mortdecai and Transcendence, Forbes has compiled its annual list of the most overpaid actors in Hollywood and Johnny Depp is sitting not-so-pretty at number one. And when you look at the raw numbers, no one else is even close.

However, there’s a little more going on here than a great excuse to kick Johnny Depp and his collection of dumb hats while they’re down. The disparity between what “movie stars” are paid and what their movies end up grossing at the box office is shifting. The age of the movie star is effectively over and you can see this reflected in the full list below.

While everyone knows Denzel Washington for his two-time Oscar-winning acting skills, you may forget that the actor has also gotten behind the camera as a director for Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters. And now he’s preparing for another stint wearing several hats on the movie set as director, producer and star of a new project at HBO.

During An Evening With Denzel Washington & Dr. Todd Boyd Friday night at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the actor revealed that he recently made a deal with HBO to adapt August Wilson‘s 2010 Broadway play Fences into a film at HBO. And that’s just the beginning of a whole batch of HBO projects based on Wilson’s work.

Find out more about the Denzel Washington Fences project and more below! Read More »

Sony was so confident in The Equalizer, it got the ball rolling on a sequel months before the first one hit theaters. And now it looks like the studio’s franchise dreams are coming true. The studio has set a 2017 release date for The Equalizer 2, with Denzel Washington set to return as vigilante Robert McCall. Hit the jump for all the details on the Equalizer sequel release. Read More »

Sony got the wheels turning on a second The Equalizer before the first The Equalizer even hit theaters, and now they’re finally ready to make it official. The studio has announced a sequel to the thriller, with Denzel Washington expected to return as vigilante Robert McCall. More details on the Equalizer sequel after the jump. Read More »

The Magnificent Seven remake is also going to be a Training Day reunion. Ethan Hawke has just joined his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua and co-star Denzel Washington on the project, which also stars Chris Pratt and Haley Bennett. More details on the Magnificent Seven Ethan Hawke casting after the jump.

Actors have been “overpaid” for a long time. For the past few decades the biggest stars were getting 10, 20, 30 million dollars for a movie that maybe wasn’t even that good. Recently, things have begun to go away from that huge upfront sum. No, stars are taking less money upfront for more options on the back end. That encourages a better product, but also creates much bigger pay days. Sandra Bullock made around $75 million for Gravity. Robert Downey Jr. around $100 million for The Avengers. But somehow, you’re okay with that because the movies are good and they took a gamble at the beginning.

Most of these stars did not take a gamble and, in most cases, you can’t blame them. Forbes has complied their list of the ten most overpaid actors of 2014. They look at the “last three films each actor starred in before June 2014,” add the grosses, then divide by the total salary. What’s left is a return on investment number. The amount of money each actor grosses for every $1 paid. None of them lose money, but some make less than others. Read the most overpaid actors 2014 list. Read More »

Update from Editor Peter Sciretta: Antoine Fuqua is now confirmed to direct Denzel Washington in a remake of The Magnificent Seven. More details on the Denzel Washington Magnificent Seven remake, after the jump.Read More »